Mohammed, Blackwood in revamped Windies ODI squad

St. John’s (Antigua), Sep 30 (IANS) Jason Mohammed has been recalled four years after he made his debut while Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood is poised for his first one-day appearance in a 15-man West Indies squad to contest the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series in Sri Lanka starting on October.

Off-spinner Sunil Narine, who had pulled out of the World Cup squad to continue work on his action, has returned as part of eight changes to the side which reached the quarter-finals of the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, reports CMC.

As expected, no room has been found for the Trinidadian duo of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard through they have been included in the 15-man Twenty20 squad, also announced on Tuesday.

Their exclusion from the ODI squad prompted claims of “outside interference” in the selection process from head coach Phil Simmons and led to his suspension on Monday.

Mohammed, meanwhile, has been handed a chance to revive his international career at age 29.

The right-hander shone in the Super50 Championship earlier this year, averaging 50 runs per innings and stroking an unbeaten century in the final, as Red Force beat Guyana Jaguars.

Blackwood, 23, has played 10 Tests where he averages 41 but has been given the opportunity to transfer his attacking batting into the shorter format.

Narine’s re-inclusion, one 13 months after he played his last game for the West Indies, is a huge filip for the regional side.

The right-armer’s action has come under heavy international scrutiny and after being called during last year’s Champions League Twenty20, he opted not to travel to the World Cup.

Meanwhile, several other familiar faces have returned to the squad. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who recently made his Test comeback, has been included four years since playing his last ODI while batsman Andre Fletcher is back after last suiting up in 2010.

Pacer Ravi Rampaul is also back, having not played since October last year. Test captain Jason Holder also leads the one-day side.

All-rounder Darren Sammy, left out of the one-day squad, will take charge of the Twenty20 unit which also includes leg-spinner Samuel Badree.

The West Indies will be play the first two ODIs in Colombo on October 31 and November 4 before closing out with the final game in Pallekele on November 7.

The two T20s are scheduled for November 10 Pallekele and November 12 in Colombo.

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